About The Hole-in-the-Wall
Deep in the red sandstone country southwest of Kaycee, a narrow gap opens into an isolated landscape historically known as Hole-in-the-Wall. The pass offered a hidden route through the steep Red Wall and became one of the West’s most famous outlaw refuges.
During the late nineteenth century, cattle rustlers, horse thieves, and bank and train robbers used the remote valley as a place to hide, recover, and store stolen livestock. Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch was the best-known group connected to the area, but the name Hole-in-the-Wall Gang referred loosely to several bands rather than one permanent organization.
The location was naturally defensible. Anyone approaching across the open country could be seen long before reaching the pass, while the narrow entrance was difficult to attack. Cabins, corrals, and supplies once supported the people living behind the wall, although little remains at the original site today.
Reaching Hole-in-the-Wall is now part of the experience. The Bureau of Land Management route crosses rough, remote country and finishes with a roughly three-mile hike. There are no services at the trail.
Why it’s weird: An opening in a red rock escarpment concealed a functioning outlaw refuge where multiple criminal bands shared shelter, livestock facilities, and warning systems.
Visitor info: Use the BLM trailhead coordinates and current directions. Carry water, maps, emergency supplies, and sufficient fuel. Roads can become impassable after rain, and nearby private property must be respected.